


Faith & Love

by BansheeLydia



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-18 00:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9355577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BansheeLydia/pseuds/BansheeLydia
Summary: For the prompt: "[text]: Can you pick me up from the bar? Too drunk to drive."





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ericaismeg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericaismeg/gifts).



Erica woke slowly, groaning as she mashed her face against her pillow. After a moment, she dared to open her eyes and lift her head to squint at the alarm clock.

1:15am.

She’d only been asleep for a couple of hours. It had been a rough day at work and she’d pretty much just got home, quickly gulped down leftover noodles, and gone to bed. She rolled onto her back, hand already reaching out to gently touch her girlfriend’s back, to find the curve of her hip and cuddle up. Instead, her fingertips brushed cool, untouched sheets and she turned her head.

The room was dark, but there was just enough moonlight filtering through the blinds for her to see that Lydia’s side of the bed hadn’t been slept in; there wasn’t a pair of high heels left haphazardly by the bedroom door Lydia’s hairbrush left out on the dresser. Lydia hadn’t been home yet, which on a weekday was kind of unusual.

The sudden chime of a text reminder made Erica jump lightly, realizing that her phone going off was what had woken her in the first place. She grabbed her cell from the nightstand, tapping the text to read it.

_[From: Lydia. 1:12am.] Can u pick me up from the bar? 2 drunk 2 drive._

Worry flickered through Erica. Lydia rarely got drunk on weekdays and she was definitely too drunk to drive if she was drunk enough to use text speak. She thumbed out a quick reply.

_[To: Lydia. 1:18am.] Sure, which bar?_

_[From: Lydia. 1:19am.] The Shed._

Lydia’s go to bar, a fancy cocktail place in town. Erica sat up, swinging her legs out of bed. She swapped her pajama shorts for jeans, tugged on a pair of boots, and grabbed her keys before heading out. It was only a twenty minute drive and she parked next to Lydia’s car, climbing out and making her way inside.

For a Tuesday, it was reasonably busy, several groups of people sat in the booths and a few people seated at the bar. It took Erica’s eyes a second to adjust to the lighting before she spotted Lydia perched on one of the bar stools and headed over.

She had a bright pink cocktail in front of her and was swaying slightly in her seat, chatting cheerfully – if drunkenly – to the bemused bartender. Erica gently placed a hand on Lydia’s hip to stop her from falling off the stool and she turned her head, beaming at her.

“Erica!” She leaned forward, wobbling precariously for a second before she regained her balance and pressed a loud, smacking kiss to Erica’s lips. “Hi!”

Erica smiled fondly. “Hi, princess.”

Lydia leaned against her, nuzzling at her shoulder. “You’re soooo beautiful.” She mumbled. “I’m so lucky.” She perked up slightly, looking at the bartender. “Didn’t I tell you I’m super duper lucky?”

The bartender straightened her ponytail with a grin. “You did.”

“Erica, this is –.” Lydia squinted slightly, trying to remember. “Allison!” She finished triumphantly. “She’s really, really nice. And her drinks are really, really nice.”

“Oh, good.” Erica replied, sharing an amused look with Allison. “Are you ready to go, princess?”

She nodded, then threw up both palms with wide eyes, almost losing her balance again. “Wait! My drink!” She snatched up her cocktail, gulping it down.

“Uh…”

Allison caught Erica’s gaze. “It’s alcohol free. I cut her off about an hour ago.”

Erica nodded, gently stroking Lydia’s arm as she finished her drink. As soon as the last drop was gone, she jumped off the stool, stumbling slightly in her heels, and Erica wrapped an arm around her waist so she could lean on her.

“Thanks.” She said to Allison.

The bartender offered a cheerful wave in response and moved down the bar to serve another customer. Erica carefully walked Lydia out to her car, making sure she was buckled in properly before she set off.

Lydia dozed slightly on the way home and when she pulled up to a red light, Erica gazed over at her. Her red curls, usually sleek and perfect no matter the time of the day, were slightly messy and her eyeliner and mascara had been cleaned off, like it had been smudged. 

When they got home, she helped Lydia inside and into the bedroom, leaving her briefly to get some water and Tylenol. When she returned, Lydia was fumbling at the zipper of her dress and Erica set the glass and medicine on the nightstand, crouching to slip Lydia’s shoes off her feet and set them aside.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked softly, gently rubbing the skin where Lydia’s shoes had pinched.

Lydia sighed softly at the sensation, closing her eyes. “I was made redundant today. Budget cuts, they had to lay off most of the staff.”

Erica bit her lip. “Oh, Lyds…”

Lydia looked at Erica, eyes wet with tears. “I just…it wasn’t even about the job, not really. It wasn’t exactly my dream job. I just…it’s just hit me how much I’ve settled. I settled for this job instead of trying to move on. When I was younger, I was so sure I’d achieve all my dreams. I worked hard for them. I was gonna have my dream job, I was gonna win the Fields medal. I was so sure I’d marry you before I was thirty, but I’m thirty two next month and I just…I feel like I’ve failed myself.”

Erica cupped Lydia’s face, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks with her thumbs. “Princess, you’ve not failed yourself. Look how far you’ve come, what you have achieved already. You’re a genius, Lyds, and you’ve worked so hard to get to where you are now. You’re brilliant. You could do anything if you put your mind to it. You’re only thirty one. You’ve got so much time to do those things you’ve always wanted to do, to achieve your dreams. As for being laid off…you said it yourself, this wasn’t your dream job. You can easily get the job you want, the one that will get you back on track for your goals. I know you, Lydia, and I believe in you, okay?”

Lydia sniffled slightly and nodded. “I love you.”

Erica smiled. “We’re going to get some sleep. Tomorrow, you’re gonna have a pretty shit hangover and it’s my day off, so we’re going to snuggle on the couch and eat junk food. And then when you’re feeling better, we’re going to look at jobs, okay?”

Lydia nodded again, managing a small, grateful smile. Erica helped her out of her dress and into a nightshirt, gently combing through her curls before securing them in a braid. Once they were snuggled up in bed, Lydia’s head tucked against Erica’s neck, she gently rubbed Lydia’s back.

“And when you’re sober, if you still want to marry me…” Erica pressed a kiss to Lydia’s forehead. “All you need to do is ask and I’m yours. I always have been.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm currently accepting prompts at allirica.tumblr.com


End file.
